House for an Architect, London

This project is for the extensive remodelling and refurbishment of a Victorian semi-detached house near London Fields in Hackney, London. This was a great opportunity for Ben Kilburn and his wife Jane to be both client and architect, turning the property from three flats into a five-bedroom house for them and their three daughters.

The upper and lower ground floors of the house have been opened up to connect both floors of living space, with a new generous double height space at the back of the house that also connects the living areas with the garden. Windows have been added to the rebuilt flank wall of the house to bring light into the hall and staircase, and the attic has been converted to usable space with a small hit and miss stair connecting it to the floor below.

The plaster mouldings to the exterior of the house have been remade and internally some of the missing mouldings have been replaced.

This was also an opportunity to make significant improvements to the energy efficiency of the property and consider different ways of upgrading older housing stock. The house has had photo voltaic and solar thermal panels fitted, and the existing fabric has been extensively improved with new insulation to walls, roof and ground floor and new double-glazed windows throughout. At the rear, the existing poor quality extension has been wrapped in insulation and clad in sweet chestnut boards.